Machine Condition Data Systems

Ascenix

Applications of model based fault detection technology through MCM, had been in a wide range of industries with diverse needs. For example, some customers purchased MCMs as their primary continous monitoring equipment. They have fully integrated them onto their plant monitoring and control systems in order to perform live monitoring 24/7. Others did not need continous monitoring but utilized MCMs as their primary tool in their predictive maintenance programs. They quickly identified motors at various stages of failure in order to get to them on-time. The diagnostic reports of MCM provided the greatest help to them in maintaining these motors effectively, as well. Yet a third group of customers, utilized MCMs just to supplement their existing continous monitoring systems that may be heavily relying on other technologies, such as vibration analysis. These customers highly valued the insight that MCM provided them about the condition of the driven machinery.

Which are your specific needs in preventing downtime ? What are the critical and/or hard to reach motors that MCMs can best serve ? Identifying them is the first step.

Model Based Fault Detection Technology Implementation

ArtesisMCM is a continous monitoring device, thus, an average implementation generally involves around 50 MCMs for selected critical motors in your plant. The implementation conceptually starts during the development of a proposal tailored to your needs, which generally invovles a site survey and maintenance management meetings. This is essentially a service proposal for an initial period of 3-years and it includes the installation and commisioning of the equipment needed.

The proposals outline the specifications of a turnkey system and the details of the services being provided. They generally reflect the following aspects of the system and the services:

The most important part of your Model Based Fault Detection implementation project is its integration into your predictive maintenance program. This is when you will see the biggest benefits. This is when all the MCM users saw the biggest benefits: when MCM was fully integrated, not just in terms of hardware, but also in terms of the tasks and processes in the utilization of its results. Any implementation of a project that relies on a new technology, no matter how simplistic the technology is, needs proper support and services to be provided with it. Model based fault detection technology is a simplistic technology, yet it is a new one. Thus, Ascenix is committed to providing support and services at every stage of its implementation.

MCM's installation is non-intrusive.The alarm levels on its front panel are simplistic.The diagnostic features on the GUI are straightforward and do not require trending analysis.Yet, its results still needs to be properly utilized for it to deliver all of its benefits.

This would require:a) on-site and off-site trainingb) coaching/program monitoring while MCM becomes part of the existing maintenance programc) consultations on the root-cause analysis when failure modes are detected and possible remediesd) providing reviews on the condition of the monitored machinery to suggest any improvements in the processes.

The customers who have effectively utilized MCM in their maintenance processes, obtained great results and are expanding their installed base within the same plant or in other plants of their corporate group. Unfortunately, we did not see the same benefits realized for some early customers who had installed MCMs but utilized them only haphazaradly (only when there was an imminent failure, for example, or utilizing it for post-failure analysis).

Thus, we have defined a 3 year service period with each MCM purchase. This allows us to ensure that you get the maximum benefits from MCM and obtain a return far greater than your initial investment.

Demonstrating Return on Investment...Every Year !

The purchase of an MCM system is an investment that generally involves 50 or more MCMs with a software integration into SCADA systems and a 3-year service contract. This corresponds to an investment of roughly $350-$500K for the entire period, 50% of it being the equipment costs and the remaining service and labor. The return on this investment is demonstrable and at the end of each year we provide reviews of realized benefits.

We are able to provide an analysis of return on investment because we take a consultative approach at every stage: proposal development, integration, services, diagnostic reporting and program reviews. We define the baseline conditions for example, when develop our proposal and the program reviews provide us the data on improving conditions.

We are only satisfied when we are convinced that we have exceeded your expectations.